Siblinghood of the World Bloggers Award #1

I was nominated by six wonderful bloggers for the Siblinghood of the World Bloggers award! ❤ Because of this, I’ll be doing this award in two separate posts with a couple sets of questions in each post. Part two will contain questions from Lashaan and Trang, and Kayla.

Thank you to Ashleigh over at A Frolic Through Fiction, Heather over at The Sassy Book Geek, and Loreva over at La Book Dreamer for the nomination. They are all absolutely amazing book bloggers, so please take some time and go check out each of these fantastic blogs! 😀

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The Rules:

-Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog

-Put the award logo on your blog

-Answer the 10 questions sent to you

-Make up 10 new questions for your nominees to answer

-Nominate 10 blogs

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Ashleigh’s Questions:

1. Is there a fictional character you wouldn’t want to meet? Who?

Definitely Umbridge. I absolutely can’t stand her (who can to be honest?)—she’s the worst! I’d never want to meet her.

2. Do you own any bookish merchandise? (Badges, jewelry, posters etc)

Oh boy, do I ever! I have a To Kill a Mockingbird poster and bag, Harry Potter jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, time-turner earrings, deathly hallows earrings) and a leather Ravenclaw journal, Sherlock Holmes jewelry and book pillow. I also have tons of general bookish gear like t-shirts and mugs. Basically, I have way too much bookish merchandise for my own good!

3. Is there a book/ series you think is overrated?

This is going to be a bit of a controversial answer of course, but I would have to go with the Twilight series. Now I have to say, I think “overrated” might be a bit too strong a term. I am not a fan of the series, but I also don’t fall into the hating on Twilight camp either. It was just not my thing, and I personally ended up feeling that it was over-hyped.

4. If you could travel back in time to any time period, which would you go to?

My favorite periods to learn about have always been the 1920s and the 1940s, so I’d love to travel back to either. I think it would also be interesting to travel back to the Victorian era.

5. Are there any fictional character names you really love?

Oh, there are plenty! I love the names Atticus Finch and Katniss Everdeen. Pretty much any name out of Game of Thrones is fantastic, particularly Daenerys and Arya. A fictional film character name I love is Rey. And this might be a bit of an obvious choice, but I love the name Sherlock Holmes! There are tons more that I love, but these are a few of my favorites 🙂

6. Are you setting yourself a Goodreads reading challenge for next year? If so, how many books do you hope to read?

I’ve set my challenge this year for 60 books. That was my 2015 goal, but I didn’t end up making it, so I’m really hoping that I can reach it this year.

7. Favourite bookshop?

My favorite physical bookshop is Barnes & Noble. Book Depository has become my favorite online bookshop because I can get all of my favorite editions of books without spending more on shipping than on the actual book itself! 😀

8. If you could have any character’s clothing style, which character would you choose?

This might be a strange answer because I haven’t actually read this book series yet, but from pictures I’ve seen, I would have to go with Celaena from Throne of Glass.

9. When you review books, do you write notes while you read it or just think back when writing the review?

Typically, I will just think back on the book when I’m writing my review rather than writing anything down. Occasionally I will take notes if there are really specific points that I want to discuss that I’m afraid I might forget, but usually, I prefer concentrating on reading straight through.

10. How did you get into reading?

Literature has always played an extremely important role in our household, and my parents made reading a part of my life very early on. They constantly encouraged me to read when I was younger, and always made sure I had plenty of good books to choose from—and I ended up completely falling in love.

Heather’s Questions:

1. What is a food that you absolutely will not touch, even if your life depended on it?

This is a tricky one. I have to admit, I can be a pretty picky eater, so there are a number of foods that I don’t like. However, the only thing I can think of that I would not touch even if my life depended on it would be blue cheese. That is the one taste I just could not stand for anything!

2. If you could meet any author, who would you meet?

There is no way I’m going to be able to narrow this down to just one person! 😀 If it could be any author from throughout history, I’d like to meet Shakespeare, Arthur Conan Doyle, or C.S. Lewis. As for current authors, I’d love to meet Gillian Flynn, J.K. Rowling, Victoria Schwab, or Neil Gaiman.

3. If you could have the next book in any series right now, which would it be (doesn’t necessarily have to be written yet)?

Until recently, I would not have known what to say for this question because I’m not currently reading many series at the moment. However, Heather and I just recently read Vicious by V.E. Schwab together, and now that the sequel has been announced, I am absolutely dying to get it! That’s definitely a book I wish I didn’t have to wait for!

4. Would you rather go to the library or the bookstore?

I know that for the sake of the free space in my house and my wallet, I should probably say library, but honestly, I’m going to have to go with the bookstore. I do have a lot of extremely fond memories from over the years, particularly from when I was a child, of spending hours at the library and coming home with an ambitiously large stack of books. However, there is nothing quite like picking out books that you are going to use to expand your own personal library, and then seeing them all filling your shelves.

5. Paperback/Hardcover or E-Book?

Paperback/hardcover for sure! E-books have definitely grown on me over the years, especially when it comes to larger books or for traveling purposes. But there is nothing that could ever take the place of the feeling of having actual, physical books in your hands (and sitting on your shelves).

6. New book smell or old book smell?

Hmm…that’s a tricky one. Both are absolutely wonderful! I think I might have to choose new book smell. Though there is something very special about that scent that builds up over years, I think I might slightly prefer the scent of a freshly bound book.

7. Do you like reading classics or new books?

I generally like to read a good mixture of both though I will say, overall, I actually prefer reading classics.

8. If I gave you a bunch of money for books right now, which 4 books would you buy?

   

The Enchanted by Renee Denfeld

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

9. Most anticipated book of 2016?

This is so difficult! There are so many fantastic-sounding upcoming releases. If I had to choose, however, I think I would have to say that my most anticipated release of 2016 is Heartless by Marissa Meyer. I can’t even begin to explain how eager I am to get my hands on this book!

10. Are there any book-to-movie adaptations you’re anticipating?

Definitely! 2016 is shaping up to be the year of (hopefully awesome) book-to-movie adaptations. The top ones I’m anticipating this year are Fantastic Beasts, Miss Peregrine’s, and A Monster Calls.

Loreva’s Questions

1. Which TV Shows do you watch?

I actually don’t watch a lot of television anymore, and I am absolutely terrible at keeping up with shows. I have an insanely long list of shows that I need to start watching or catch up on. The main shows that I do keep up with (and that are some of my all-time favorites in general) are Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, and Sherlock. I also really enjoy The Middle and Two Broke Girls.

2. What was the first book you ever read and was it the book that sparked your interest in reading?

I come from a family of book lovers, so books have always played a hugely important part in my life. I can’t specifically remember a lot of the first books I read by myself, but I do distinctly remember reading a book called The Housekeeper’s Dog. I remember being so proud because it was multiple reading levels ahead of where I should have been at my age, and I was so excited that I called my grandma up and read it to her over the phone. All of the books that I read when I was younger fueled my passion for reading, so this one definitely contributed. However, like many other bibliophiles around my age, the main book(s) that sparked my interest in reading was Harry Potter.

3. Which do you prefer: Reading or Writing?

This is an incredibly difficult choice to make! Though I absolutely adore writing, and I love getting my ideas written down and creating worlds and adventures of my own, I think I would have to say I slightly prefer reading. Reading is something that I can do to relax, to really take a break and escape from reality for a little while. Reading and writing are both incredibly important and essential parts of my life, but reading is my necessary chill out time.

4. Which is your favorite season, reading wise?

My favorite season in general is autumn. The world is so beautiful in autumn—I always feel the most inspired in all aspects of my life, including reading, during these months. Something about that cooler weather makes me want to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea as the leaves fall outside.

5. What bookish challenges are you going to attempt next year?

At the moment, the main bookish challenge I’ll be attempting is the typical Goodreads challenge, though I might look around for other challenges to try at some point! I’ve also created a few personal challenge lists for myself in blog posts recently: series I want to start, my 2016 book bucket list, and self-published books I want to get to. I’ll be checking on my progress with this lists throughout the year.

6. How do you arrange your bookshelf (color, genre, author etc)?

This is embarrassing to admit, but I don’t actually have any bookshelves at the moment! All of my books currently reside in storage boxes. However, when I get those shelves, I will be arranging my books by author.

7. What was the last book you read? Did you like it?

The last book I read was Doctor Who: Death Riders by Justin Richards, a sort of mini novel (under 200 pages) that I got from Netgalley. Overall it was a fairly enjoyable read (click here to read my review!). I’ve been reading a few of these for review lately, so the last full novel that I read was Vicious by V.E. Schwab, and that was absolutely incredible!

8. Have you ever been on vacation outside the borders of your continent?

Yes and no. I’ve never been out of the borders of my continent on a true vacation. However, I have traveled outside of the borders for music tours, which are sort of part work and part vacation. So far I’ve only been to Europe, but I have traveled to France, England, Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic!

9. Are you interested in any musical instruments or sports?

I enjoy watching a number of sports, but I’ve never been too interested in participating in them. The only ones I’ve enjoyed (and been remotely good at) are swimming and tennis. However, I am a musician, so I’ve had a lot of experience with instruments. I am primarily a singer, but I’ve played piano, violin, guitar, and recorder. I am also really hoping to start electric violin sometime in the near future!

10. What is your usual reading time?

I typically read whenever I get a chance throughout the day, and that changes all the time as my schedule is generally pretty unpredictable. So I guess I don’t really have a specific time of day that I usually read. However, I do relatively consistently read before going to sleep, whenever that happens to be! 🙂

I Nominate:

The Orang-utan Librarian

Jessica @ The Awkward Book Blogger

Becca @ Shih Tzu Book Reviews

Liam @ Liam’s Library

T.K. Lawrence @ Read it or Not Reviews

Rachel @ (Bargain)BookBliss

Zezee @ Zezee with Books

Codie @ Reader’s Anonymous

Windie @ Geek Apprentice

Dearna @ The Words of the Roses

Jen @ J.N. Cahill

My Questions:

1. What are some new releases you are most looking forward to in 2016?

2. What is you favorite under-hyped book?

3. What is one thing (activity, song, movie, etc…) that always makes you happy no matter what?

4. Do you prefer series or standalone novels?

5. Do you play video games? If so, what are your favorite games to play?

6. What is your favorite song of all time?

7. If you could have any fictional animal as a pet, what would you choose?

8. What 2016 movies are you most looking forward to seeing?

9. What book or series would you recommend to someone who says they don’t like to read, and why would you choose that book or series?

10. What is your absolute favorite quote?